1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a communication system and method, a sending apparatus and method, a receiving apparatus and method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
The DVI (Digital Visual Interface) standards are available as existing standards for transmitting image data from a personal computer or a like apparatus to a display apparatus or a like apparatus.
According to the DVI standards, color data such as red data, green data and blue data representative of color gradients of red, green and blue (hereinafter referred to as R, G and B, respectively) regarding a predetermined pixel are adopted. Further, a combination of stream data composed of a plurality of red data disposed successively, stream data composed of a plurality of green data disposed successively and stream data of a plurality of blue data disposed successively is adopted as a transmission form of image data. In the following description, image data of the transmission form is suitably referred to as DVI signal.
Heretofore, such color data of red data, green data and blue data as mentioned above are transmitted as data of 8 bits of an upper limit, that is, as gradation data which can be represented in 256 gradations in the maximum.
It is to be noted that, in the following description, where there is no necessity to represent different color data of red data, green data and blue data distinctly from one another, they are collectively referred to as pixel data. In other word, data formed from a combination of red data, green data and blue data regarding a predetermined pixel are referred to as pixel data of the predetermined pixel. In this instance, k-bit (k is an arbitrary integral value) pixel data signifies data formed from a combination of red data of k bits, green data of k bits and blue data of k bits.
Meanwhile, together with the development of information processing technologies in recent years, the ability of personal computers and so forth on the sending side is enhanced. Thus, also personal computers have been provided which can handle pixel data of more than 8 bits, that is, pixel data of more than 256 gradations and consequently can produce image data formed from such pixel data. In the meantime, also the display capacity of display apparatus has been enhanced, and also display apparatus have appeared which have, as a display capacity of one pixel, a display capacity of more than 8 bits, that is, a display capacity of more than 256 gradations.
From such a situation as described above, it is demanded to expand the color gradients of R, G and B colors of the DVI signal to equal to or more than 8 bits.